Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça warns of AI risks to human storytelling

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça has warned that the primary risk of artificial intelligence lies not in machines learning to tell stories, but in humans forgetting the value of the lived experiences that originate them. Speaking at the Book 2.0 event in Lisbon, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education noted that under the pressure of efficiency and algorithmic homogenization, society may lose sight of the fact that stories derive value from being lived and witnessed by humans.

While acknowledging AI's ability to produce images, dialogues, and narratives at speeds unmatched by humans, the cardinal argued that AI-generated texts are not comparable to true poetry or narrative. He stated that “simulation, even if it is confused with it, is not testimony.”

Referencing Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” Tolentino de Mendonça emphasized that the choice is not between progress and stagnation, but between technology that replaces human responsibility and technology that serves it. He advocated for book culture as a natural barrier against these risks, as it preserves the human dimension of creation.